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Welcome to Time Machines, where we offer up a selection of mechanical oddities, milestone gadgets and unique inventions to test out your tech-history skills.

America was in the middle of a post-war economic boom during the '50s and industries were in a rush to build the future, often with outlandish results. RCA-Whirlpool was busy whipping up the "miracle kitchen," chock-full of mod-cons to make the Jetsons jealous, and Simplicity Mfg. Co.'s air-conditioned, bubble-domed lawnmowers arrived to ease the painful process of landscaping. General Electric (GE), a longtime hotbed of innovation and research, had various projects underway, including engineer Ralph Mosher's Cybernetic Anthropomorphic Machine Systems (CAMS). Mosher was building man-amplifying tools that would allow users to control robotic appendages with natural human movement. Not to be left out, the US Army was plotting the future of rough- and remote-terrain vehicles, and it had its eye on GE and Mosher's work.

A Team of Russian researchers are building a conceptual mind-transfer android, and we're definitely not talking about Ice Cream Sandwich. However bizarre, their goal is to help mankind achieve immortality using a combination of humanoid robots and interstellar space travel to get away from a dangerous and overcrowded planet -- but most of the needed technology seems so far off that we could probably power cycle the world's slowest Linux computer a million times before we see any of it. One prototype includes the torso of an android that will one day house a a computer rig that would be theoretically capable of acting as a personal proxy -- essentially, a place to upload "human souls." This absolutely insane über-ambitious project is the stuff of science fiction, but the big shots over in the birthplace of Tetris say it'll all be possible by 2045. Need more convincing? Check out the two videos after the break.

In late 2008 filmmaker Rob Spence, caught our attention when he announced his plan to jam a video camera in his skull to replace an eye he lost to an unfortunate accident. Instead of connecting the camera to his brain, Spence sought to become a so-called "lifecaster," recording the feed on an external device. Now his bionic eye is up and running, and he's even partnered with a little company called Square Enix to create a documentary about state-of-the-art prosthetics and cybernetics. The short film, embedded after the break, was commissioned to celebrate the launch of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. But, this isn't just some over-long commercial for a game, it's a serious exploration of cutting-edge leg, arm, and eye replacement technology. Check it out below, but be warned -- there are a few images that might not sit well with weaker stomachs.

Sure, a cybernetic-filled, dystopian future may sound nice and cheery, but what happens when all your snazzy implants get infected with a computer virus? That's what one brave researcher at the University of Reading is attempting to find out, and he's now actually gone so far as to willingly "infect" himself in the name of science. As you might expect, however, this is all this very much a proof of concept, but Dr. Mark Gasson says that the infected RFID chip in his hand was indeed able to pass on the virus to an external control device in his trials, and he warns that the eventual real world implications could be far more dire. Gasson is particularly concerned when it comes to medical implants, which he says could potentially become infected by other implants in the body, and even pass on the "infection" to other people. Head on past the break for the BBC's report, and try not to be too startled by the Dalek in the room.

While attention might be shifting towards Star Wars: The Old Republic, Star Wars: Galaxies is still going strong and SOE yesterday released an extensive set of patch notes for Update 12, focusing primarily on Engineering Traders. These include an obscene number of new droids for you to play with. Some are now craftable by Engineers, there are droids for battle and some (but not all) even have decals, allowing you to change how your mechanical companions will look.

On top of this, Engineers will now be able to craft cybernetic parts including hands, arms, legs and torsos. To commemorate this addition, every player will get an odd little gift when they log on: a holographic display depicting the cybernetic arm of everybody's favourite Jedi, Luke Skywalker. Weird but also kind of cool. The update will also contain new quest content for level 50 characters, two new vehicles and various bug fixes. For a full list, we suggest you head on over to the official site and check out the patch notes for yourselves.
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cyberneticsdroidsjediluke-skywalkernews itemspatchessci-fistar wars galaxiesstar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesstar-wars-galaxies-patch-notesstar-wars-galaxies-update-12star-wars-the-old-republicTue, 11 Aug 2009 13:00:00 -0400319|19125510